St. Patrick’s Day Kit For Dropkick Murphys

By Andy Doerschuk

March 16, 2012 10:45 am

St. Patrick’s Day Kit For Dropkick Murphys

By Andy Doerschuk

Published March 16, 2012

There’s no better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than to hoist a pint or two with Boston’s own Celtic punk roughnecks The Dropkick Murphys, who will appear at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts tomorrow night to commemorate the patron saint of Ireland.

Of course, the band’s tirelessly energetic drummer Matt Kelly couldn’t play just any old kit for this auspicious occasion, so he commissioned a special outfit from SJC Custom Drums guaranteed to make it an even more bombastic Murphys’ show.

Naturally, the acrylic-shell kit is finished in a rich Emerald Green (to assure that Matt doesn’t get pinched while playing “Kiss Me, I’m S**tfaced,” or any of the band’s other signature ditties). But the true magic is in the details, such as the hand-cut wood badges, custom-made beaver-tail lugs, and hand-burned Celtic knots that wrap the wood hoops fitted onto each shell.

And check out the Chop Block (above) mounted onto the top of the bass drum batter hoop – an SJC creation, which is hand-burned in the same style as the Celtic knot patterns with Kelly’s initials. The solid hunk of wood is meant to be played sort of like woodblock, cascara-style. But even if a stick never sullies its surface, it’s still a nifty feature.

While the kit will be christened tomorrow night, Murphy plans to play it for the duration of the band’s upcoming tour dates. Its dimensions are a 20" x 20" bass drum, 12" x 8" mounted tom, and 14" x 14" and 16" x 16" floor toms.

Oh, and one last thing: Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig! Be careful out there!